


Sheep's dream

by kiirian



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: AU: the chimera, Fluff, M/M, Soft V, my version of the ending, romantic, soft johnny, still snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28694094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiirian/pseuds/kiirian
Summary: V has changed during the last few months more than he has during the last few years. And people around him take notice of that.Yet the last few weeks have been better than anything. The freedom to just be himself and do what he likes is exhilarating. And to have someone who understands him fully, who sees him for what he is and doesn't look away makes his heartbeat so much faster.For the first time in a really long while, V feels happy. Even if he isn't wholly himself anymore. And he never will.
Relationships: Johnny Silverhand/V
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	Sheep's dream

The first one to notice anything is Panam. After she learns about the attack on Arasaka, she calls V. She is positive that she saw his face in the footage. He picks up after a few rings and she lets out a sigh of relief.

“Hey. Just checking up on ya.” She says in an artificially cheerful voice.

“Hm? I’m fine.” His voice sounds somewhat deeper for a second, but he clears his throat and resumes. “Just finishing a gig. Everything alright at the camp?”

“Preem. Ah, Mitch wanted me to ask if you are going to show up for a barbecue night. Apparently, he has some new recipe to try and a city boy could be a great judge.”

“And only Mitch wants me there?” V teases her.

“Don’t act dumb. We all will be happy to see you.”

“Even Saul?”

“I’m going to make sure that he particularly will.”

V laughs under his breath. “Just make sure to leave him in one piece.”

“No promises. So will you be there? It’s this Friday after sunset.”

“Yeah, we will try to.”

“Awesome. Just, remember to take care until then.”

“Sure. You too, Panam.”

He hangs up. The radio instantly fills the silence, so it takes her a second to understand what she has just heard. A slip of speech. And she knows that V is never alone. It is just that he has never before said something like this. She tries to push her worry away. He has said he is alright so there is no sense overthinking it. She trusts him to know his limits.

She focuses on the road ahead of her. As one of the few people in the clan that knows Night City, she is still appointed to run errands for the family. She is just glad she doesn’t have to see Rogue again. 

* * *

V keeps his promise. He arrives in a small car, an old model she is sure isn’t destined to drive on anything less than perfectly laid pavement. Still, V drives it with ease to the camp, closes the door behind himself, and looks around. He beams broadly as he spots her.

“You kept your promise.” She points out once they are close enough she doesn’t have to shout.

“And so did you. I would hate to arrive here and only see the other leader of the family scowling at me.” V squeezes her shoulder in greeting.

“If looks could kill we both would be dead thanks to him.” She smiles.

V’s hand weights warmly on her shoulder. He is wearing his usual jacket, the black one made out of fake skin and sporting a red logo of Silverhand’s band. She has yet to ask him if it was his idea to get it or did Johnny make him.

It is weird to talk to V about it since she knows the engram is always listening.

“So where is the food I’m supposed to be eating?”

“Not ready yet. But come on, there are a few things I’ve wanted you to see.”

She turns away and guides V deeper into the camp. He follows her without a complaint. She shows him freshly renovated vehicles and the amount of loot still left after their last raid. V nods along looks at the things she is pointing with his hands hid in his pockets. At some point, he takes out a box of cigarettes and lights up one of them.

“You smoke?” She is thrown out of her monologue by the sheer surprise.

“Sometimes.” He takes a drag. “Okay, daily. But,” He raises his free hand and points up with one finger. “Only one cigarette a day. Usually at sunset.”

“Huh. Okay. I’ve never noticed it, that’s why I’m surprised.” She tries to explain herself.

“Sure. What were you saying about your new gun?” He takes another drag.

She keeps on watching him from the corner of her eye. She loves her new sniper gun but there is something strange in seeing V with a cigarette between his lips.

His eyelids lower in pleasure and his stance grows more and more relaxed with each puff of smoke leaving his lungs. Moreover, his eyes keep on glancing to the side of her, to the empty spot on the cot in her tent. A smile appears on his lips at some point. She is sure she hasn’t said anything funny.

Still, she lets it go. It is not hard to guess that V is communicating with that thing living inside his head. It is strange to see it happen.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask.” She starts smoothly. She winces at her own voice going a little too high. “I’ve heard some rumors about someone breaking into the Arasaka tower recently. I’ve even seen some footage before they took it down. And well, I saw a face I think I recognized.”

V’s face goes blank.

“I don’t think I’ve heard.”

“Really?” Panam’s eyebrows raise up her hairline. “Because I am sure the face I saw resembled the one you are sporting.”

“Maybe I have a fan.” V breaths in the smoke.

“V… You know I am only asking because I worry.”

He looks her up and down. For the first time, she feels like she is being judged by him. His usually relaxed posture grows rigid for just a second before he makes a decision.

“Yeah, okay you got me. I needed to do some sightseeing inside of ‘saka’s tower.”

“And did you see what you wanted to see?” She itches to ask for more detail but the weird gleam in his eyes stops her. She has only seen it when he had his finger on a trigger.

“Yeah, you can say that.” The lines around his eyes relax. “I even got a little souvenir. Remind me to bring it from my flat. I always leave it on the table but forget to take it with me.”

“Sure.” She hides a sigh of relief at the change of topic by turning towards her gun.

“Hey, guys! Get your asses here if you want to eat.” Someone calls them over from the center of the camp.

“It’s the siren call of food.” Panam hides her gun in its box. She has yet to find it a spot that would keep the sand away from it.

“One I am never eager to miss.” V puts out the cigarette.

She watches as he takes the bud of it and throws it out into the bin outside of her tent. It is always good to see someone respecting her space without any reminders.

V knows the camp enough she doesn’t need to walk him to where Mitch and the other are sitting. They all exchange quiet greetings with the merc, especially those who have accompanied them on their mission. V finds a free sit and soon a plate of food is deposited into his lap.

“Come on, no bullshiting.” Mitch threatens him with a spatula. “I want to know if it is any good.”

“Any free food is good.” V points out before taking a bite. He chews slowly, apparently enjoying the suspension building with each second. “It’s good.” He shares his verdict.

“Yes.” Mitch nods like he already knew. “Okay, everyone. Now you can bring your plates.”

Just like that, a line of hungry people is created. Panam gladly accepts the fork from V and they share well-made meat. She must agree that it tastes incredible. They sit in comfortable silence with the fire cracking in the background and others talking before they can get their dinner.

V suddenly turns his head to the right. The jerky move almost throws the plate from his lap.

“Take it.” He passes her the food.

She quickly gathers it from his hands. He isn’t looking at her and if not for her it all would have landed on the ground.

“Hey!” He gets up, not paying her attention. With a few quick steps, he nears one of the tables. A guy with an old guitar sits at the end of it. The instrument leans against his leg while he drinks his beer and talks with others.

When V nears them the conversation falls silent. With a few words, the merc acquires the guitar and soon enough he is back near the fire. He sits down next to Panam and starts tunning the guitar.

“What was that all about?” She asks.

She is sure V has seen Toby and his guitar already. He must have.

“This is a classic,” V informs her without taking his eyes from the instrument. “I haven’t seen one of those in years.”

She reasons that Toby has a few of those. Maybe V just missed it. She finishes eating while watching V’s fingers play with the strings. He moves with confidence he has shown both behind the wheel and with a gun in his hand. He doesn’t really start playing until everyone is done with their food. Then he lets his fingers fly.

She cannot compare his playing to that of Toby’s. V is on a completely different level. He brings something raw to the usual tunes she knows from long nights around the campfire.

Others do not start talking like they usually would after the meal. They keep their silence so they can hear the music. She even spots Saul coming out of his brooding tent to see who is playing. He catches her eye and scowls only a little when he notices V sitting next to her.

One of the war veterans happens to know the lyrics of the song V plays next. They sing with a low voice which prompts others to join. Panam leans back and closes her eyes. She guesses it is one of the songs from the war but it’s not like they play them on the radio these days. The spirit of comradery it is filled with fits the family though. Younger members sit and listen in wonder, just like her. She opens her eyes and looks up at the sky. She can even see the stars. It is a beautiful night.

V plays several more songs before giving back the guitar. He thanks Toby and shares a few words about the instrument. Unfortunately for him once Toby notices he has someone to talk with about the music and how to take care of old models he is lost. Panam must step in to drag V away when the merc shoots her a helpless look.

“It’s late. And V has a long way back to NC.” She ushers V away.

She is smaller than a merc but he follows her lead. “Yes, sorry. I will be sure to drop by the next time I’m here.”

He waves at Toby and quickly marches away. They both go to his car, standing just where he left it.

“You know you can actually stay the nigh.” Panam offers. She crosses her arms over her chest. The nights are getting cold.

“Thanks, but I prefer to sleep in my own bed.” V shrugs. “And also, thanks for the whole thing. Invite, food, a chance to play.”

“If I knew you played so well I would have invited you earlier.”

“You? Wasn’t that Mitch who wanted me here?” V teases her lightly.

“Yes, yes.” She shakes her head with a smile.

V unlocks his car. With a last look at the camp, he says his goodbyes. “Make sure you guys don’t rob anyone blind until I’m back. I would love to be in on the fun.”

“Sure. Bye.” She waves as he gets inside his car and backs out. Once the car is turned she can fully see the Samurai logo on its back. It nags her a little.

* * *

“Never knew fingers could hurt so badly.” V squeezes the wheel.

“You are just not used to it.” Johnny sits back comfortably in the passenger seat.

“We are not used to it. I know you can feel the pain.” V takes a turn and sets them on a path to his flat.

“And I am used to the pain in my fingers. I already went through it.” The musician shrugs.

“Hmph.” The red lights stop them.

Johnny takes off his aviators and they disintegrate into the air. The light pouring through the front window creates deep shadows on his face and makes him look ethereal. The thought travels between them and causes a smirk to appear on his lips.

“With a little bit of practice, we can go back to playing full time.” He points out.

“Want to join Kerry? Maybe start another band?”

“Naah. We already have to work in a duet. More people could mean more trouble.”

He shakes his head. His long hair dance around.

“He will be heartbroken if we don’t at least try playing with him.”

“He can be sensitive about things like this.” Johnny agrees with a huf. “Fine. But if he tries anything sentimental I’m out of there and you are playing on your own.”

“And whose idea it was to get Samurai back together?”

Johnny flips him off. The amusement they share betrays his intentions. The light changes and V steps on the gas.

“What will we even write about?” V wonders. “More dunking on the corpos?”

Johnny looks outside the window. “Old topic. We can go there but we should also bring in something new.”

“What?”

“It’s best to write about things you know.”

“Okay. So you know the rocker’s life. Me? Well, I know how a corpo can fuck you over. Twice. And how it feels to have your mind overwritten.” V takes a sharp turn. “Not the most reliable material.”

“And you know how it feels to have a dream of every romantic high on romance shlock fulfilled.”

“Are you talking about yourself? Johnny, I hate to break it out to you but your idea of romantic is sex and booze.”

“I haven’t heard any complaints. And it says a lot about you that you fell for it.”

V snorts. “Okay, fine. What did you actually have in mind?”

They near their box of flats and V starts looking for a good parking spot.

“The process of getting to know another person wholly while you are also being seen in return.”

V doesn’t rush an answer. Johnny already knows how he feels anyway. The rightness of sharing their space, of being together fills them to a brim.

“And you want to write about it? Won’t that be strange?” V stops the car but doesn’t leave his seat.

He turns to look straight at Johnny. Those brown eyes look right through him. A shiver of pleasure runs down his spine.

“Listen to any of the shit they play on the radio. Hell, listen to Kerry’s songs even. No one asks how you know how it feels to take drugs and no one will ask you how you know what you know. We will twist it into two people with actual separate bodies, but besides that everything is fair game.”

“Even that you tried to kill me at first?”

“Which doesn’t speak wonders about your taste in man.”

V sighs but Johnny’s good humor keeps him from being actually offended.

“Fine then. I expect you will be right next to me while I write.”

“If you want. For me, it’s better to lock up and stay alone until I came up with something good.”

“Funny you should say alone.”

Johnny moves so he can look at V more comfortably.

“I can always piss off. Or we just switch and you think while I am behind the wheel. It’s that easy.”

V bites his lower lip. “We can try. I mean, playing the guitar is one thing. Creating songs? We need to see how it goes before we make any big decisions.”

“Is the big scary merc afraid?”

“You’ve seen what fame did to Kerry. Do you want us to go after some teenagers in a few years? Seriously?”

“We won’t be like that.” Johnny scoffs. “Kerry always had some problems.”

“And we didn’t?”

Being called out makes Johnny cross his arms. He sulks and shows his displeasure by looking away from V.

“So we try music and try not to have a mid-life crisis. Got it.” V reaches out and catches Johhny’s chin.

He turns his face without any problem. He moves forward and once they are face to face kisses Johnny. It remains chaste until Johnny decides to actually partake. He opens his mouth and licks into V’s mouth. A filthy sound of their kissing fills the enclosed space. V can feel the need to move into Johnny’s lap even before the other man telegraphs his want.

The merc pulls back. “We have a very comfortable bed, you know.”

“And a cat who is always looking.”

“He may be out on a hunt.”

“Or curled up in said bed.”

“Then we have a shower. Cats hate water.”

It settles their dispute. They leave the car in a safe spot and head towards their flat.

* * *

Kerry has noticed before how peculiar V can be. Even when he wasn’t Johnny he would just drop by to check on the musician or crash on his couch. After the whole fiasco with the girl band V showed up with pizza and cherry cola. Which may have been the sweetest thing ever.

Afterward, Kerry started feeling guilty for using the kid time and time again to get what he wanted. Being a mercenary has it in a job description but still sending someone who was becoming a good friend to do a dirty job still felt off. So he just stopped. But V kept on showing up. He even got into a habit of sharing whatever Johnny was telling him.

“You didn’t.” V stops the tale of how Kerry got into the bed of the lead singer of their rivals in the 20s.

Back then Samurai wasn’t even into anti-corpo shit. They just played about their lives. Not much of those songs were even recorded. Thinking back to it Kerry is glad that they were lost to the history. They were quite awful.

“I did. I’m telling you, just after our gig the guy approached me. He looked so embarrassed.”

“No, but you guys went for a beer after that gig.”

“Nooo. You are talking about the next one. I mean the one before that.”

V’s brow furrows. He seems to be trying to remember the said gig. Suddenly it occurs to Kerry.

“Ah. Johnny was ill back then. He had a fever so maybe he just doesn’t remember it.”

“It’s not that.” V mumbles under his breath.

“Huh?” Kerry doesn’t want to press about how the whole sharing a body works.

If he knows too much the whole thing may turn out to be a dream. Or some scheme to get him to like some gonk who drops by with pizza.

“The memories.” V relaxes but the unease is still visible in his hunched shoulders. “People forget things but being a construct means you can’t forget anything. You are a code. Recalling things is as easy as breathing. And the memories don’t get overwritten each time you recall them as it happens to humans.”

“Okay?” Kerry takes a bite of his pizza to get more time to think. “So how is it Johnny can’t remember something?”

V pursues his lip. Those are very nice lips. Kerry has to admit he sometimes wishes the merc would answer any of his flirting. Still, he settles for what he already has.

“Ah.” V almost jumps in his seat. “It was the one where Nancy also got cold? And she was bitching at us all the time even though it wasn’t our fault she went butt-naked into the fucking blizzard.”

“I… Yeah. That’s the one.” Kerry agrees.

Now that V, or was it Johnny, mentioned it he can remember the event even more clearly.

“She saw me inviting the block into my room.” He recalls. “I tried to sell it as a fever dream. She got so mad.”

V snorts. “No wonder. It was a bad cold. At least Johnny’s was.” His brow furrows again. “He actually got hallucinations.” A quick glance to the right betrays the quick debate between the merc and the engram.

“Really? He said everything was fine.” Kerry observes V’s face carefully.

Often he can guess what Johnny has said by just reading V’s face. The kid is like an open book. At least when he doesn’t try to act all cold and controlled. Kerry has seen him taking a phone call in his ‘corpo mode’ once and that caused a weird mix of fear and arousal he doesn’t wish to repeat.

“He didn’t want you guys to worry.” V scowls at the empty space near the window. He sends that space a pointed look before turning back to Kerry.

“Something tells me he isn’t too happy with you sharing this.”

“Part of being friends is reaching out when we need help.”

Kerry laughs before he can stop himself. “Then neither of us have ever been good at it.”

V joins him. “Right.” He shakes his head with a smile that reaches his eyes. “From what I have seen you two were at each other throats unless someone else tried to hurt the other.”

“And then the whole hell would break loose.” Kerry takes another bite. He speaks with his mouth full, just like he would before the whole international star course. “If I ever had any problem with some guy all he would need to do was show up when Johnny was around. Seriously, I didn’t even need to say anything. It’s a wonder he didn’t get any charges.”

“Huh.” V smiles. “Reminds me of that one time someone was hitting up on me and din’t get any clues I wasn’t interested. My choom, Jackie, well he showed them I wasn’t interested. He was a head taller than me and had an arm the size of my thigh. You can guess the results.”

Kerry nods. “And that’s what friends are also about.” He bites. “So, that guy. Jackie? Never heard of him before.”

He realizes he has made a mistake when V turns his head back to where Johnny must be standing. It’s not that he seeks Johnny out, that’s pretty usual. It’s the haunted look at his face. He isn’t trying to hear better what the engram has to say. He is looking for support. Kerry curses himself. He should have guessed there is some history there.

“He is dead.” V answers but his voice isn’t exactly his. It is deeper. Not like when Johnny was using his body but close. It makes Kerry sit straight. “Died during the gig which brought me the chip.”

“Sorry to hear, man. And sorry I even mentioned it.” Kerry moves uncomfortably in his seat. With V on the other side of the small coffee table it is impossible for him to reach out and offer comfort without it looking strange.

Yet V doesn’t seem to need it. He turns his head to a side and inclines it back. Just like he would if someone was sitting behind him and carding their fingers through his hair. If Kerry didn’t suspect it would have looked almost normal. V’s eyes grow hooded and after a minute of silence, he looks much more controlled.

“It’s fine. You couldn’t have known. I don’t talk about Jackie a lot.” V turns his head to look back at Kerry. “It’s been only two months since I lost him. It still hurts.”

And Kerry can understand that. If he thinks back to the time after Johnny’s death he can understand that almost too well.

“If you need to talk about it…”

“I know. Thanks, Ker.” He smiles with gratitude written all over his face.

It is strange to be at the end of such an expression. Still, Kerry smiles back.

“Okay, so what do you say about a marathon of the new season of that detective show I guest-starred in?”

“You want to watch it now?”

“Well, we got pizza. We got a coke. I will bring some blankets.”

“Sure, why the hell no.” V sighs. “I will go out to catch a smoke before.”

“You can smoke in here. The filters will take care of it.” Kerry gets up before V can answer.

He is sure he has some comfy blankets in one of his wardrobes. Those that feel like a puffy cloud against the skin. Hell, he has been spending too much time with the girls.

V takes the empty pizza box to the kitchen and throws it out. They still have another one and he doesn’t want to leave any more litter around the house. Especially after his nagging has made Kerry hire someone to take care of the place.

“You alright?” Johnny appears sitting on a stool.

He has the Samurai t-shirt on. The same one V uses as his pajama on cold nights. It makes the merc smile.

“Yeah. You know, memories.” V makes a vague gesture. He lights up his cigarette with a lighter he has gotten from Misty.

She probably wanted him to use it for the scented candles she gave him the last time they saw each other. They were a lovely present but it’s not like he has time to just sit around and smell ‘roses and candies’.

“You could just lit them up when we stay in after the gig.” Johnny reminds him.

“I thought you didn’t like them?”

Johnny rolls his eyes. “I’m just pointing out your reasoning is stupid.”

“Whatever you say.”

V breaths in the first portion of smoke for the day. His muscles grow loose and he feels so much better. Johnny answers with a prolonged sigh. The dopamine rush hits them both.

“See? This is why I didn’t want to go without completely.” Johnny breaks the comfortable silence.

“It is still destroying our lungs.”

“With life we live, it would be hard to find things that don’t destroy something.”

“Maybe running? We do a lot of that.”

“Only because you can’t listen to directions.”

“Not when they are shouted to my ear while I’m driving a bike.”

“Whatever.”

Another drag and a relaxed sigh. V leans back against the counter. His eyes meet Johnny’s and without breaking their stare he takes another breath in. The smoke feeling his throat and later lungs feel sensual, like a caress. Johnny licks his lips.

For a second V wishes, they were back at home where they could do anything they wanted.

“I found the blankets!” Kerry calls from the living room.

“Give me a sec. I’m finishing here.” V answers.

He takes the last drag and puts out the cigarette. He throws it out but waits until he keenly feels the need to breathe out. Only then does he let the smoke escape. When he looks up Johnny is no longer in his seat.

“You coming?” He hears the rocker boy calling him.

It will be a long evening.

* * *

Vic is hesitant to call it a success when V doesn’t die. It doesn’t mean he isn’t happy. The mercenary has become both a regular patient and a friend. The scans of his brain though show such strange changes Vic isn’t sure what he is looking at.

“So? I’m okay, right?” V moves impatiently on his chair.

“You could say that.” The doctor moves closer to look at the screen. No matter where he stands the results do not change. “The relic is no longer changing you. It is still working but it looks dormant. Or remains in a sleep mode. Hard to tell. And your body has started to recover all the damage that has been done to it.” His tone remains hesitant even when he breaks in the good news.

“I am expecting a but.” V’s eyes take that hard edge Vic has seen during the fistfight a few weeks back. The merc braces for a hit.

“Yes, well your brain looks like someone has been molding it like clay only to resign halfway. No part of it is the same but if you look from a certain perspective it is the same as it was before. Just changed.” Vic scratches his chin. “Wait a second.”

He looks for the old scan he has taken after V was brought to him by Takemura. He overlays it over the new scan, uses the colors to show where he can see the similarities and where the differences are too big not to be noticed.

“Look.” He turns the screen to V.

The mercenary focuses on the diagrams before him. he bites his lips in focus. At some point, he moves a little to a side as he studies the colors of his brain.

“We knew that the relic would change me.” He points out.

“Sure. But it was supposed to change you wholly into Johnny Silverhand. Instead, it just stopped. And your body isn’t dying even if it is supposed to.” Vic throws his hands up.

The whole thing doesn’t make sense. V moves the screen away and gets up from the chair. He stretches and his shirt rides up to reveal his stomach. Several bruises adorn his skin, a leftover from the last gig. He smiles at Misty sitting in the corner and observing them anxiously. She worries about his health as much as his ripper doc.

“It may be because I got into contact with a net runner who stopped it.” V looks back at Vic.

“What? That too is impossible.”

“And yet it worked.” V shrugs.

Vic moves towards his desk. He feels out of his depth.

“Okay. So you are not dying.” He confirms. “But the changes were already done to you? There is no going back.”

“I know. It’s fine.”

“Even with the hallucinations?” At V’s surprised look Vic waves his hand. “You’ve spilled the beans once. You were delirious at the time. So tell me, are you still hallucinating?”

V moves from one foot to another.

“I wouldn’t call it hallucinations.”

“So yes. And your net runner cannot help with that?”

“No, not really.” It sounds like a lie.

“Fine. Just go then. Try not to get yourself killed. And visit in a few weeks. I want to check if your brain doesn’t deteriorate.”

Vic turns to the tablet laying on his desk in dismissal. V sends him the money he hasn’t even asked for before leaving. Misty follows after him. She catches him just before the door to her shop.

“I hoped to talk to you.” She tells him with a gentle smile.

“Yeah, well I wanted to give you something.” He answers with a grin of his own.

He is holding a small box in his hands.

“Let’s get inside.” She opens the door to her shop and goes inside. V follows closely behind.

She settles down on the stool and he takes his place in front of her. The small black box in his hands has a golden symbol on the front. It reflexes the light of the candles, makes the fire dance across its lines.

“Here.” V passes it to her. “I have found it during one of my gigs. At first, it didn’t look too interesting but once I opened it I thought of you.”

She accepts the present with a smile. No matter what it is she already feels grateful to be a part of V’s thoughts. Carefully she opens the box. She tips it sideways and a bunch of cards comes out. They land on the table between them. She recognizes the pictures. A tarot set with all major arcana. She picks one of the cards. It looks hand-painted or at least made with very precise strokes. She turns it to look at the back. The same symbol adorns that side of the card. The golden pattern extends into flowers surrendering it.

“Oh, V.” She lets out a sigh of wonder. “Those are beautiful.”

The merc smiles at her happiness. “I’m glad you like it.”

She looks up and catches his eye. “They are amazing. Thank you.”

“Well, I thought it was only fair after I took your set.” He shrugs. “And you can do a much better job with them than I ever could.”

She picks up all of the spilled cards and shuffles them.

“That’s not true. You already have a connection with this deck. Not as strong as with the ones I gave you but it is there.”

“Yes, but I still don’t know how to use them to tell the future. Or the present.”

“I can teach you.” She offers lightly.

V looks up surprised. “You want to?”

“Of course. It is always good to share what you know with others.” She grins. “And I think both of you will like it.”

At V’s suddenly opened mouth she giggles.

* * *

“I don’t agree with that girl. I don’t like it.” Johnny leans back against the railing.

Another gig brings them into one of the higher rooftops in NC. V settles with Widow Maker and starts looking for his target.

“Then don’t listen to her lectures.” He points out.

He is a little too distracted to pay Johnny his full attention. The rocker boy takes it as well as it can be expected.

“I can’t just go to sleep when you are running around.” He huffs.

A cigarette appears in his hand already lit. The smell of smoke reaches V and fills his lungs. It doesn’t bring the usual relief. He curses under his breath. Johnny chuckles, glad to have some kind of revenge.

“Misty’s predictions have worked out so far. It would do us some good to know about shit hitting the fan before it even happens.”

“You believe she can predict the future?” Johnny rolls his eyes behind the aviators. “Really?”

“I don’t know, okay? She knows more than she should. Unless she is some corpo spy she must get that knowledge from her cards.”

“Or she has eyes. And is pretty good at guessing.” The red light at the end of the cigarette gets brighter and brighter as the setting sun disappears under the horizon.

“Then use the lessons to try to disprove her powers.” V offers. “You can tell me all about afterward.”

“Fine.” Johnny throws the cigarette over the railing.

He kneels next to V and puts his head next to the merc. His sunglasses have disappeared at some point so he can press his face close enough to look over the gun. He quickly spots the guy V is supposed to take care of. There is no way to take a clean shot yet.

“You think his brain is going to land on the plate?”

“Naah. Wrong angle.” V moves around to find a more comfortable position. “We may have to wait here for a little while longer.”

Johnny sighs. “All that for a bunch of eddies. We should move to more lucrative gigs.”

“I couldn’t have said no after all the gigs she found me. It’s a favor.”

“Sure.” The rocker boy settles on the ground.

A guitar appears in his hands and he lets his fingers wander against the strings.

“Just nothing too distracting,” V warns him. He keeps stealing quick glances at Johnny but is still keeping one eye on the target.

Johnny doesn’t grace him with an answer. Instead, he starts playing.

* * *

The first being to notice the change was Alt. She takes over the Arasaka building, brakes into the Mikoshi, and looks over the new parts of itself.

Just then that strange human connects to her and it is ready to do what it had promised. What stoped it was the state of the mind it had before itself. A mind that was wrong. There was no way to disentangle Johnny Silverhand from V. No way for it to create an engram of a person that no longer existed. Not on their own.

It wondered what it should do. To use the data saved in Mikoshi and install fresh engram of Johnny in the body changed for him would mean killing the one already there. And there was no way to do what the original engram wanted.

So it didn’t run the Soulkiller. Instead, it dived into the program running inside V’s mind. Or this strange chimera of the man it loved and the merc. It changed the code ruining the body. It calculated the precise changes needed for the body to accept the mind and vice versa. Most of them had already occurred. It prodded the consciousness existing inside the brain hooked up into the control panel. Two figures emerged in cyberspace.

“What’s going on? Is it done?” V questioned it.

It can see how the code flows between him and the other figure. It is not two beings but one split into two just so they can communicate in a way known to them.

“Alt? Are we done?” Johnny asked it.

“I have done what could be done. The body is no longer dying but it will need time to recover.” It said.

The lines of code move faster. It could track the information flying between them even while they weren’t aware of the exchange.

“So what now? I’m going with you to a brave new world?” Johnny looks up at it.

“No, that is not possible. You are making a mistake in thinking one of you can go somewhere without the other.” It offered.

“What?” If Johnny was more than a line of code he would look pissed at the none answer.

“You mean…” V didn’t finish.

But it knew what he was thinking about. The place his mind went wasn’t far from the truth.

“You aren’t ill. Johnny isn’t a sign of a mental illness. He is a representation of the way your mind has dealt with the change.”

“Okay…” Johnny took a little longer to catch on. “So we are the same person now? I killed the original V.” His voice broke at the end.

The lines of code that were V moved towards the rocker boy. For them it felt like a normal human contact when V threw his arm over Johnny’s shoulders.

“I am here. I am not dead.”

“Yes.” Alt agreed. “He isn’t dead because you haven’t overwritten him fully. The changes he has made in you have also influenced the process.” It stopped, uncertain for the first time in its existence. “I am not sure what you are. But the thing called the soul is still there inside of you.”

“See?” V pulled Johnny closer. He was smaller than the rockstar but with a help of his hand, he pushed Johnny’s head so he would rest it against V’s shoulder. “We are both here. We are the same.”

“That sounds like some romantic slock.” Johhny’s voice sounded fragile.

“Hmm. Maybe.” V smiled against his hair. “But it is true.”

“You should get back.” Alt informed them. “I will not linger at the tower for far longer and you should get out of it.”

“Sure,” V told it over Johnny’s shoulder. “Put us back.”

Alt felt a pang of regret that it didn’t get to see Johnny looking back at it when they disappeared. He was too focused on nuzzling into V’s neck.

The comfort of not harming the only consistently good thing in his life made his knees too weak to even think about moving away.

**Author's Note:**

> Is it a strange romance? Kind of. Would I kill for an ending like this? Don't tempt me. I love the bitterness of the original endings, but hell, the world is already bitter enough. Let us have something nice.  
> And does it feel strange to write in English about a polish game while being Polish and living in Poland? You can probably guess.  
> Anyways if you want to keep me alive please do consider buying me a [ coffee.](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/kiirian)


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